The longer I’m involved in the fitness industry, the more attentive I am to the health and well-being of my family, and the greater the emphasis I place on nutrition as a cornerstone of health. Research continues to prove that regular exercise is an absolute necessity for optimal health, and the complexity and power of the body’s relationship with the foods we consume is just as important.

One of the areas that I get asked about most often is my own nutrition. Many people are confused or overwhelmed by the massive amount of information out there in magazines, books and the Inter-net. On top of this, we probably all have friends and acquaintances who claim to have the most effective diet strategy.

I’m the first to admit I still have a lot to learn when it comes to ideal or optimal nutrition. However, I do believe that I follow a better eating plan than most.

I find that eating well when I’m at home is fairly simple, but it’s far more difficult when I’m on a vacation like spring break. Because holidays completely disrupt our regular routines, it’s easy to get sidetracked. It’s much easier for me to control my nutrition when I’m working full days and have to make an effort to find the time to eat.

When I’m on vacation with a lot more free time and a less demanding schedule, it seems like I could snack on something every time I get near the kitchen. Naturally this isn’t ideal when my goal is to lose body fat and optimize my nutrition for health and energy.

Is it possible to unwind and have some fun, without regretting it when you come home? In my opinion this can certainly be accomplished if you’re careful and strategic about your approach.

Following are a few tips that work for me and my family when we’re on vacation. Of course, this isn’t the only approach and there are many differing opinions about what is best, but hopefully these pointers are helpful.

Be independent

I find that one of the most important things for managing my nutrition on the road is accommodation that includes a kitchen. The few times when I’ve been on vacation or business trips and actually had to stay in hotels for multiple days, I’ve been frustrated in my efforts to eat healthy. It’s very difficult to eat five or six healthy meals per day when you’re dependent on restaurants. It can be done, but it’s challenging and expensive.

People in this situation often regress to eating two or three large restaurant meals per day, which is the first step on the slippery slope to poor nutrition and weight gain. With your own kitchen you can shop intelligently, fill the fridge and pantry with fresh, healthy foods and prepare smart meals as necessary. Often a small condo can be more affordable than a hotel room anyway!

Don't make sweets a staple

I envy those people who just don’t have a sweet tooth. Most of us have a weakness for sweet foods. I like to think it’s not completely our fault since we were raised at a time where there was an increasing amount of man-made, high-sugar, simple-carbohydrate foods avail-able. Our parents weren’t aware of the risks and health complications associated with these foods and were happy to have convenient, affordable meals to feed us, which basically trained our bodies to expect the elevated blood sugar response from every meal.

Treating yourself or your kids to desserts or sweets just because you’re on vacation should be avoided as much as possible. Feeding these foods to children as part of their regular daily nutrition is an even bigger issue.

With our greater understanding of the health risks of consuming these foods comes an increased responsibility to carefully monitor their place in our nutrition plans.

Arm yourself with knowledge

It’s not necessary to be able to recite the macro and micronutrient content of every food you eat, but a working knowledge of the nutrition contained in your favourite foods is very important. How else are you going to make smart choices? This is relevant at home, but even more so when you’re eating in restaurants.

Although you can’t be sure of how foods are prepared at a restaurant, you can be confident that a spinach salad with grilled chicken breast is going to be a better choice than chicken strips and fries.

Before you even get to the restaurant, determine what you’re going to order and stick to it. This strategy will save you if you end up in an unfamiliar restaurant or at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

At buffets, try to fill your plate with as many greens as possible, add some protein and stay away from too many baked goods, simple carbohydrates and desserts.

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